Category: Pastor’s Blog

It is games galore this summer! The European football championship will get to its climax this Sunday with the final. Various countries that are represented in our church community can still be crowned winners of this soccer tournament! On the same day, the Wimbledon tennis tournament will culminate in the men’s final. The classic cycling competition Tour de France is racing through France and will climax on Sunday a week later. And if that is not enough, on July 26th, the Olympics start in Paris. It is still unsure whether the swimmers will be able to swim their race in the dirty river Seine or not; but race they will! I’m enjoying all that adrenaline and sportsmanship. I love the emotion and the engaged crowds who are watching, cheering and screaming. But sometimes I also think of the saying ‘Bread and Circuses’ to pacify the people. There is much going on in our world, but it seems that 22 men kicking a piece of inflated leather around a grass field seem more important than solving serious issues. Here is a thought from the Bible:  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:23-25 We need to focus on running the right race, with the right attitude and appropriate effort. It is not for a shining cup or a big bonus we are training and putting in effort. It is for a glorious inheritance that is waiting for us. What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9 Let’s get that prize!

School’s out for summer! Six or more weeks of bliss, freedom, rest, sun and warmth. At least, that’s what we hope for. With the versatile spring weather we had, we don’t know if we will have some stable summer weather this year. Many of us will be going away for a few weeks. Probably you are looking forward to it. I hope it will be all that you desire it to be. But there is no guarantee. No matter how good the weather will turn out, how wonderful the location will be, the fun activities that are on the menu… You take yourself and the ones that come along with you. It seems that at the end of August, there is always a spike in divorces and relationship break-ups. That is attributed to a few things: a) the summer holidays have been a disappointment; b) partners come to the conclusion they don’t have anything to say to each other anymore, and c) being together as a family can be very stressful if the rest of the year consists of individual persons living their own lives in a setting in which not much interaction is required. Here are a few tips to make your summer holidays a success: Here is a Bible portion to ponder when we think about getting ‘real rest’. In The Message we read this: The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey, we’ll surely rest with God. So, let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11 I wish you a splendid summer holidays, whether you will be away or at home. And when you are home, we hope we will see you in the services. During July Sundays only at 10:00 in the morning!

The people of Israel have been wandering aimlessly through the Sinai dessert for many years. It was their own doing. They had disobeyed God and turned to idols, while Moses was on mount Sinai to receive the ten commandments. The passage through the Red Sea at the beginning of their journey had been blissfully spectacular. But now, God had taken Moses away from the Israelites and a new leader – Joshua – was finally leading the people into the promised land. Can you hear them grumbling? “Well, I wonder how this will go. Moses was a grand leader; wonder how this Joshua will turn out. Probably not as good as Moses and he definitely misses the seniority that he needs to lead us.” They get to the river Jordan. It is flood time and the river is deep and wide, not a trickling creek. Then we read this in Joshua 3:15-17: Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, while the water flowing down to the Dead Sea was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. Have you ever seen water ‘piled up’? I sure never did! This is not something that Joshua has organized. It is not a gimmick. This goes beyond any human capabilities. It is as if God is saying: you might have a different leader, but I’m still the same God. What I did at the Red Sea, I can do again, and here it is. Pastor David is gone. I will be your interim pastor for the next while. But it’s still the same God, who can do the same things again to save and guide us. Will you pray with me that we’ll see God’s greatness at work in the months to come?!

Penny Smith didn’t care much for the low-income neighborhood that bordered on the back of her business property. As far as she and her husband were concerned the residents were a nuisance. There was always trash and beer bottles littering the back of her bookkeeping firm. So, a few years ago they put up a wooden fence to keep the ‘undesirable elements’ out. On the night of 10 December 2021, just weeks before Christmas, a tornado with wind speeds of up to 190 mph tore through her town of Mayfield, Kentucky. Hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed and 22 people died. Penny and Rob, who live in the next town over, were spared but the following morning went to check out their business. Amazingly, there was only minor damage to their building, but the neighbors were not so lucky. The storm had taken down the wooden fence and all Penny could see was the devastation that her neighbors had suffered. Rob thought it was like an atomic bomb went off. Penny said that when the fence fell down, other barriers did as well. Her eyes were opened. A lifelong Christian and church goer she had been content to ignore the struggles of that community. Now she saw these people as her neighbors, and they needed help, immediately. It was difficult to get rescue crews into the vicinity, so Penny and Rob set up an area on their property to serve coffee and water. Then people started dropping off food and other necessities. They began to serve a hot breakfast each morning for the residents, many who were now homeless. Over the last few weeks, they have continued to provide hot food and clothing. It’s become a hub for other services into the devasted area. “Literally, the walls came down, and we started talking to these neighbors,” Rob said. Penny’s business is on hold at the moment while she continues to serve the people around her. Soon she’ll need to return to work but her perspective on her calling and her neighbors has forever been changed. Jesus asked them, ““Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers (or a tornado)?”  The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37)

A 2020 study from Premier Christian News in the UK found that Christians are less likely to pray than those from other faiths. Just 38 percent of Christians polled said that they regularly prayed. Among other faiths, 52 percent reported that they prayed on a regular basis. I was surprised to see the low level of engagement for something considered so central to our practices. Ask any random group of Christians about their spiritual life and the majority will tell you that prayer is a challenge. Many apparently aren’t spending any time in prayer. Others often struggle with knowing how to pray. We know we should, but we are often like the disciples who asked Jesus, “teach us to pray.”   What causes our hesitation? Are we are concerned about doing it properly? Do we think that prayer is a waste of time? Is it something we only do when we are in trouble? Part of our Western problem is that we believe prayer is transactional. If we spend long enough in prayer or say the right words, then God will give us what we want. Our life will be fulfilled. When this is our only understanding of prayer, we are bound to be disappointed. Benediction Monk, Luigi Gioig offers three words of advice on prayer: Keep it simple Keep it honest Keep it going Prayer doesn’t need to be complicated. God can handle direct talk. For many, honesty in prayer can be difficult. We have to check our motivation. Are we wanting to get something from God or are we really wanting to spend time with God? As the Psalmist prayed: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14) If prayer is one of those areas that is a struggle, let me recommend the book, How to pray: a simple guide for normal people by Pete Greig.  Greig has been teaching on prayer and leading prayer meetings for over twenty years. I find his approach to be refreshing and then I find myself wanting to spend time in prayer. This doesn’t have to be a complicated or guilt inducing part of our faith. Yet, prayer needs to be a foundation part of our spiritual disciples. From time to time we can all use some encouragement to keep on going in prayer.  

Education is always a hot topic. Take the debate over whether children in 2021 need to learn cursive writing. For many people, this is an essential part of learning and expressing yourself. But in the 21st century, there are other ways to write things down. Kids today learn to type with a keyboard on a tablet or phone before they know the whole alphabet.  My personal inclination is that cursive writing may be extinct by the end of the century. Does it matter? My bigger concern is that reading is on the decline. Studies show that the average daily reading time for pleasure is decreasing. I usually have several books on the go and am amazed at how many adults tell me they don’t read. (Meaning, they don’t read for enjoyment or personal development.) I guess that you are a reader since you have made it this far in my article. Most people like to get information or news in the form of videos or podcasts. Entertainment or personal education is now more focused on screens than books. It’s just my opinion but I feel this leaves us impoverished and vulnerable to misinformation. So, all this month I am recommending books for Christian readers. These are books that I think help us develop as Christian disciples. They help us to think about bigger issues and give us tools for making application to our faith. The Psalmist wrote: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) But that doesn’t mean it is always easy to understand what we are reading in scripture. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (by Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart), is a basic primer for learning to read the Bible according to the different genres found within. Understanding how to read the Bible is important when wanting to know how to apply the Bible in our life. The book of Proverbs isn’t the same kind of reading as Revelation. Should we follow the laws of the Old Testament or is it okay to eat shellfish today? This book looks at how we can approach our Bible reading and gain more insight. You don’t have to be a theologian to understand it. I have some more recommendations coming for you this month. Maybe you could put one of the books on your Christmas list and start digging in a little deeper in the New Year.

The University of Basel was founded in 1460 with approval from the Pope. It originally offered studies in four areas – arts, medicine, law, and theology. The emergence of universities, like most education in the Western world, came from the church. There was a growing thirst for knowledge. Knowledge of God and his creation. Areas of study in today’s humanities can be traced back to the early studies in theology. They were rooted in the study of God. Today, enrollment in the humanities like philosophy, history, language, arts, and culture – are on the decline. One large Christian university recently shut down its philosophy department. These subjects are considered to be rather useless when it comes to finding a job. Pragmatism in education is what seems to matter. Studying a topic for the purpose of understanding is not highly valued. This has consequences in the ‘real’ world. Last week, I read about a kidney from a genetically altered pig that was transplanted into a patient who was brain dead. The researchers found that the transplanted organ functioned normally. The use of pig parts could help with a shortage of human organs such as hearts, lungs, and livers. Researchers cautioned that there remain more questions and a long series of medical regulations before this happens. Don’t get me wrong. I think that’s an incredible discovery and I’m a big believer in scientific research that can help the improve quality of life for millions of people. This discovery and thousands of others happen every day. Just think, we are on the verge of self-driving cars and holiday packages in outer space. There seems to be no limit to the possibilities of what we can do. But, should we do it? Is life all about pragmatism now? If it works, do it? What about the moral and ethical implications of some of the discoveries we are making? How are we as Christians to view and understand these developments? How do we, as a society, hold these discussions before decisions are implemented?   We are sadly lacking in people who can help us understand the moral and ethical implications of our new world. It’s just not practical to get a degree in that stuff. Better to go into business and make money. Even Christians seem to be uninterested in the theological implications. It’s not just in the scientific world either. Current cultural discussions on race, immigration, religious freedom, sexuality and, sexual identity are hampered by people who have no depth of understanding about the history or moral issues being discussed. Instead, conversations are driven by fear and stereotypes that lead to division and resentment. The book of Proverbs makes a consistent and passionate plea for wisdom. Get wisdom, get understanding (4:4), Do not forsake wisdom, she will protect you (4:6), The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding (4:7). Knowledge we have. Information is not lacking. What do we do with this knowledge and all that information? That requires wisdom. My plea is that we should spend more time studying topics like theology, philosophy, and history. We need proper categories for our discussions and decisions. Young people should not be discouraged from getting a degree in these areas. A new generation of deep and godly thinkers is required to help us continue to engage with a world that is so fractured.

There are troubling days when we search for answers and God seems to be silent. We pray and we call on him, but the heavens are still. Sometimes we get the impression from preachers and other Christians that there is a simple formula for getting answers to prayer. We have come to believe that we shouldn’t have to struggle for solutions or wait for our miracle. But life doesn’t always operate that way, and that can be unsettling. Peter Greig writes on this in his book God On Mute: Although seasons in our lives when God is silent may be important to our spiritual growth, they can also be deeply disturbing. As a result, we often attempt to solve the problem of God’s silence with simplistic explanations of complex situations, lopsided applications of Scripture and platitude of premature comfort. We are afraid to simply wait in the mess of problems unresolved until God Himself unmistakably intervenes, as He did on Easter Sunday. We are unwilling to admit, ‘I don’t have a clue what God is doing or why this is happening.’ We may even suspect that it would be un-Christlike to cry out publicly, ‘My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?’ Why can’t we wait with the mess and pain of Holy Saturday unresolved? Why can’t we wait? Because that’s hard work and makes us very uncomfortable. It can be confusing. I don’t like it either. The reality is there will be times in our Christian walk when we have some Holy Saturdays. It is important to remember that God has not disappeared nor is he uninterested. He just isn’t working according to our schedule. If that’s where you are, may he give you grace to endure. Don’t give up. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)

Every morning two men, both psychiatrists, rode the same elevator in their office building at the same time. One of them would get off on the 5th floor and the other on the 9th. Everyone morning as the first psychiatrist was about to get off the elevator, he would turn and spit at the second psychiatrist. This man would then pull out a handkerchief and wipe off his face. This was in the days when there was an elevator operator still running the lift device. The young operator watched this episode every day until he could stand it no longer. Finally, one day he asked the second man, “Why does he do that? Why does he spit at you every morning?” “I don’t know,” said the second man, “that’s his problem, not mine!” A key part of growing in maturity is recognizing that what happens to us is not as important as how we react. We have the opportunity to decide how we want to react to the things around us that we can not control. It really has to do with our attitude. The single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. As we continue to live with the presence of Covid and various restrictions it is easy to grow tired, fearful and frustrated with all of it. It seems like there is very little we can do, and we do not like having any control. Yet, we are still responsible for our actions and reactions towards others. Paul reminds us that it is a daily effort in our Christian walk. “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24) This is not easy to put into practice. The choice is ours each morning when we get up.

When I was a kid, growing up in church, there were a bunch of silly riddles we told each other. At the time, we thought they were hilarious but really, they are just bad puns. How many do you know? (Answers below) Which biblical character grew up without parents? How does Moses make his coffee every morning? Before Boaz became married, what kind of guy was he? Where in the Bible is the first mention of a tennis match? Who was the shortest man in the Bible? You won’t grow much spiritually with those kinds of questions. Bible trivia can be fun to play but doesn’t bring much life change. There are, however, good questions found in scripture that do cause us to pause and reflect. The answer isn’t always straight forward or clear because it must come from us.   What is this you have done? (Genesis 3:13) Where have you come from and where are you going? (Genesis 16:6-10) What is that in your hand? (Exodus 8:1-5) What are you doing here? (1 Kings 19:1-10) Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? (Job 38:1-4) Throughout Scripture, God often questions his people, including us. If we are willing to answer honestly, God can work in our situation. Through his questions, God invites us into a conversation with him. Sometimes it takes courage to admit the truth. We are often forced to see ourselves in a new light. The good news is that God continues to love us and is willing to help us move forward. If you want to grow a little more, take some time to read the passages above. See if God is asking any of these questions directly of you. The answers might surprise you. Answers: Joshua, son of none (Nun) Joshua 1:1 Hebrews it Ruth-less When Joseph served in Pharaoh’s court Bildad, the Shoe-Height (Shuhite) Job 2:11